Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Mitchell Byron Doster, a 44-year-old resident of Jack, was sentenced Tuesday to 63 months in prison for possession of an explosive device, announced United States Attorney Louis V. Franklin, Sr. In addition to his prison sentence, Doster was ordered to serve three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case began in early 2019 when detectives from the Dale County and Barbour County Sheriff’s Offices were investigating a homicide. Investigators developed Doster as a possible suspect in the crime and eventually charged him with murder. On March 18, 2019, based on information obtained during the investigation, deputies retrieved a backpack and a duffel bag from a residence that they believed contained evidence in their murder case. When investigators searched the duffel bag, they discovered an improvised explosive device built from a modified training grenade that had been wrapped with metal shrapnel secured in place with tape. Local investigators requested assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to analyze the device. The ATF lab discovered a fingerprint on the tape used to make the bomb belonging to Bobby Wayne Williams, who was an acquaintance of Doster.

Both men were charged with possessing the explosive device and later pleaded guilty. Williams, who was also charged with being a felon in possession of a handgun from a previous encounter, was sentenced in May of this year to 63 months in prison. A final resolution of Doster’s state charges are pending.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Barbour County Sheriff’s Office, and the Dale County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Russell Duraski prosecuted the case.